2008 BMW 128i and 135i

Psst: Hey, don't buy that M3 just yet. The next big thing is small.

TONY QUIROGA

Sep 1, 2007

So, you can’t quite afford the new V-8–powered M3? All is not lost, Bimmer breath. There is hope from Munich for those who shop for clothes off the rack. For 2008, BMW is finally sending its smallest car, the 1-series, to the U.S. What’s truly miraculous is that BMW isn’t skimping on the engines. Forget the four-cylinder-only 318ti whose hatchback shape looked as if the trunk had been amputated in an unnecessary surgery. Not only will U.S. buyers be getting some serious horsepower, but they’ll also be getting a new two-door coupe version of the three-year-old 1-series line. Europeans will continue to get hatchback versions in addition to the new coupe.

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BMW vetoed four-cylinder power for the U.S.-bound 1-series in favor of a pair of inline-six engines. The 1-series might find itself at the bottom of BMW’s lineup, but the 128i coupe should make some buyers wonder if they really need to step up to the larger and more expensive 3-series coupes. Power for the 128i comes from the same 3.0-liter inline-six that powers the 328i, making 230 horses and 200 pound-feet of torque. Because it doesn’t measure up dimensionally to the 3-series, the 1-series should have considerably less weight to pull. We estimate that the 1-series should weigh at least 200 fewer pounds than a comparable 3-series.

The last 328i coupe we tested ran 0 to 60 mph in 6.1 seconds [“Winds of Change?” April 2007]. Burdened by less mass, the 128i should run 0 to 60 in the high-five-second range. Both models will come standard with a six-speed manual transmission; a six-speed automatic will be an option.

A 128i coupe will certainly be enough for some, but for those struggling to overcome M3 lust, the 135i coupe should be more to their speed, literally. Under the hood of this most powerful 1-series will be the same twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six engine that can rocket a 335i coupe from 0 to 60 in 4.9 seconds [November 2006]. Strangely, BMW claims that the new 135i and the 335i coupe run from 0 to 62 mph in 5.3 seconds. Perhaps giving them the same acceleration times is an attempt to save face for the more expensive 335i. Despite what BMW claims, we would expect the 135i to lop a few 10ths off the 335i’s already impressive time. But the 135i story isn’t just about the engine.

All 135i coupes will come standard with an M-tuned sport suspension, standard 18-inch aluminum wheels with high-performance tires, and an M-division body kit. There’s an open differential in back, but BMW is promising that its brake-based traction control will do a good job mimicking a limited-slip differential. Here’s a strange one: BMW usually finds single-piston calipers to be sufficient for its cars. Even some M-cars are shod with single-piston calipers, so why is the 135i wearing six-piston calipers up front and two-piston calipers in the rear? We’d guess BMW is providing the fancy brakes because more than a few 135i coupes will likely be taken to racetracks by their owners.

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Like all BMWs, the 1-series will be available with a host of optional equipment, including upgraded stereos with satellite radio, a navigation system that adds iDrive, leather seats (vinyl is standard), a Sport package for 128i models, and active steering. BMW has yet to announce pricing, but we’re expecting a base 128i coupe to wear a $27,000 price tag and a 135i coupe to come in at $33,000. If the revised and more powerful 1-series drives as well as the 120d we sampled last year [Upfront, February 2006], it should merit a waiting list as quickly as it accelerates.